Princely castle

Princely castle
Princely castle
Alternative name (s):	Principesco Castle
Creation time :	around 1470
Castle type :	Urban residence
Conservation status:	restored
Standing position :	Sovereign
Place:	Meran
Geographical location	46 ° 40 '21 "  N , 11 ° 9' 42.5"  E Coordinates: 46 ° 40 '21 "  N , 11 ° 9' 42.5"  E

The Prince's Castle is a building complex built by Duke Sigmund of Austria-Tyrol around 1470 , which is located in the middle of the city of Merano ( Burggrafenamt , South Tyrol ) and served as a city residence. Emperor Maximilian was a guest here several times.

The group of buildings is more like an artfully designed solid house with a weak surround than a fully developed castle complex. Some experts in castle research even consider the complex to be an early residence , although the princely castle was the seat of the noble Tyrolean sovereign, his local judge and the so-called cellar office with the "waiter an Meran" (administrator, tax collector). Some of the interiors are decorated with frescoes dating back to the time of Duke Sigmund and his first wife Eleanor of Scotland . The original building was redesigned in the 16th century. Inside there are high-quality wood-paneled rooms and the interior furnishings from the late Middle Ages. Some weapons such as lances and halberds have also been preserved or have been collected.

The demolition of the castle, planned in the late 19th century, was successfully prevented by David von Schönherr thanks to a broad-based initiative. The building in need of restoration was redesigned in a historicizing manner by the cathedral builder Friedrich von Schmidt .

Today the Princely Castle Museum is owned by the municipality of Merano and is open to the public. It is also used for civil weddings .

literature

• Josef Weingartner : The art monuments of South Tyrol II. Bozen and the surrounding area, Unterland, Burggrafenamt, Vinschgau. Bozen: Athesia 1991, 7th edition, ISBN 978-88-7014-642-4
• Caterina Longo: The Princely Castle in Merano . Edited by the municipality of Meran, Lana 2002, ISBN 88-88709-01-0
• David von Schönherr: History and description of the old princely castle of Meran. Meran 1892 ( [2] ).

Web links

Commons : Landesfürstliche Burg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Princely Castle
• Entry in the monument browser on the website of the South Tyrolean Monuments Office

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Karl T. Kogler, Elfriede Hallama: Meran: K. uk Sehnsuchtsort in Südtirol . Kral Verlag, Berndorf 2016, ISBN 978-3-99024-404-3 , pp. 107-108.
2. ↑ Lienzer Zeitung of February 7, 1891 p. 6 [1] digitized